Mar 15, 2007, 16:10 GMT
Buffalo, NY - The first round of the NCAA Tournament will take place this evening in Buffalo as the Duke Blue Devils collide with the Colonial Athletic Conference champion Virginia Commonwealth Rams.
Although the Rams are an 11-seed, the team had a record-breaking season. VCU is currently 27-6 overall and went 16-2 inside league play. The 26 victories are the most for VCU in a single season and the 16 conference wins set a CAA record. After falling to Bradley back on February 17th, the Rams won five consecutive contests, including a thrilling, 65-59 victory over George Mason in the CAA Tournament title game.
As for the Blue Devils, the team is in unfamiliar territory in this year's postseason event. Duke comes into the tournament as a six-seed, which is the lowest for the Blue Devils since 1996 when the team headed into this event with the eighth spot. Duke is extremely tough to rattle in the first round, as the team is 27-4 in the first game of the tourney. Advancing to the Sweet 16 has become commonplace for the Blue Devils, who currently own the nation's longest streak with nine consecutive appearances in that round. Another factor that plays into Duke's advantage is the team's success against the CAA, as the Blue Devils are an outstanding 39-3 against opponents from that league. With a win tonight, Duke or VCU will move on to the second round to face either Pittsburgh or Wright State.
This will be the first ever meeting between the Blue Devils and Rams on the hardwood.
Obviously the Rams were solid offensively on the year, but it was the team's defensive efforts that led to so many victories. VCU comes into this game surrendering just 64.8 ppg, and although the team is allowing opponents to shoot 44.9 percent from the field, VCU has held the opposition to a 35.5 percent clip from long range. The Rams have also forced 16.4 turnovers per contest, while also collecting an impressive 246 steals. At the other end of the floor the team the majority of the squad's production has come from its backcourt. B.A. Walker is currently leading the team with 14.8 ppg, while Eric Maynor is posting 13.6 ppg to go along with team-highs in assists (208) and steals (42). Jesse Pellot-Rosa comes into this matchup averaging 13 ppg, while shooting a stellar 43.3 percent from behind the arc.
As for the Blue Devils, they have also used stingy defensive play throughout the season. Duke is only allowing 61.5 ppg, while holding opponents to a 42.2 percent shooting effort from the field, and a 30.6 percent showing from long range. However, at the other end of the floor it has been a down season for Duke. The Blue Devils, who are usually very impressive offensively, are averaging just 70.2 ppg on the year. The team is shooting a healthy 46.9 percent from the field, including 38.3 percent from behind the arc. The main option for Duke and the team's leader has been DeMarcus Nelson, who is posting 14.3 ppg, while collecting 5.4 rpg and dishing out 2.0 apg. Handling the game inside the paint is forward Josh McRoberts, who is producing 12.8 ppg, while leading the squad with 7.8 rpg and 2.4 bpg. Jon Scheyer is third on the team with 12.3 ppg, while Greg Paulus has been the team's floor general, chipping in 11.4 ppg to go along with a team-best 3.8 apg.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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